Nursery World - The Inspection Journey Part 6

For a successful Ofsted inspection, the staff team need to consider their setting from the viewpoint of both a child attending it, and the inspector, says Laura Henry in the last of the series.

When delivering training around the subject of inspections and when carrying out mock-up inspection visits, I always emphasise to providers how they must be aware of what the inspectors will look for on the day.

Most importantly, the inspectors will focus on 'what is it like for a child in this setting'. With this in mind, think about how your setting is seen from a child's viewpoint. For instance, if we think about the environment from a child using their senses, what does the child see, hear and touch in your setting? What they are seeing, and do staff behave positively? Is it a noisy environment where they can't hear themselves think? Equally, how emotionally safe do they feel? This is where staff need to have a real understanding of children's inner feelings and emotions in order to make a judgement.

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